Kissing in the Pantry
by ctj
Summary: ...is strictly forbidden, especially when you're a 13-year-old kitchen boy, and she's the all-grown-up Princess of Hyrule. When you dream of slaying dragons and being knighted and wooing princesses, things like scrubbing out soup pots tend to get in the way. And best friends, too. Best friends tend to do that. L/Z AU
1. Chapter 1

"You! Boy! Get back to work!"

The young boy was unresponsive to the sound of the head cook's voice. He'd been in a daze for a moment there, fingers wound loosely around the handle of a broom, blue eyes staring off into space.

Well, more or less.

The lovely Princess Zelda stood hardly a dozen feet away, engaged in conversation with one of the maids. Link, no more than a kitchen boy, had only caught sight of Her Highness once or twice during the month that he'd spent hard at work in Hyrule Castle. To be in such close proximity was certainly a treat- and not just because she was the fairest woman he'd ever laid eyes on.

Sure, she was ten years older than the thirteen-year-old. But what did that mean to a starry-eyed teenager?

"Oi! Did you hear me or not, boy?!"

Startled, Link dragged his gaze off of the princess and began sweeping the floor vigorously. His cheeks had gone slightly pink, and as he swept under the counter a mouse scampered out and he gasped.

"MOUSE!" he screeched, and the kitchen erupted into chaos. The cook abandoned his pots and jumped for the creature, skidding across the floor. Link went to attack the mouse with his broom, but it was to no avail- he knocked over a sack of flour instead, which landed on the tiles with a _thud_. The mouse continued its escapade across the kitchen floor, scuttling underneath the princess' skirts and causing her to scream in terror, stumbling backwards and frightening the mouse away until he disappeared in a hole in the wall.

The princess was leaning against a countertop, her hand resting upon her chest as she tried to catch her breath. After a moment, she cleared her throat and laughed lightly, the color rising in her face.

Link was staring again.

"Boy!"

"Ah!" Link shouted with a jump. His broom was quick as lightning after that. The princess gave her apologies and departed, and Link watched her go until she'd disappeared up the staircase, her satin skirts trailing behind her, her golden hair shimmering in the waning light-

"_BOY_!"

Link got back to work.

* * *

Manny, a close friend, found the entire ordeal quite entertaining.

"Some charmer you are," the freckled boy joked from the top bunk. It was the dead of night, now, and the servants' quarters were quiet, but Link and his roommate were wide awake as ever.

"I didn't _say _anything-"

Manny hung upside-down over the bunk, his shaggy blond hair forming a curtain around his face. "You tried to save her from a mouse. That makes you half a hero."

Link threw a pillow, hoping that Manny might fall. He didn't.

"Go back to your stupid pencils," Link mumbled, and flopped over onto his mattress. He could feel Manny still staring, and it was bugging him.

"My pencils aren't stupid."

"Shut up, Manny."

"I'll be a great artist one day. You'll see. We'll get out of this kitchen, and I'll be the most famous artist of them all. And you can become a knight, like you always wanted to be."

"I said shut _up, _Manny!"

A pause. "If you say so." And Manny dragged himself back onto the top bunk, where he let out a melodramatic sigh.

Silence ensued. It was uncomfortable, and Link spent the better part of it peeling at a moonlit patch of wallpaper. A corner had come loose recently, and it was bugging him to no avail. He wished he could just rip all those stupid, faded printed peonies from the wall and toss them all into a trash bin. Then this room would look less like a servant's and more like a knight's, and pretending would be easier. A _lot _easier.

Maybe tonight he would dream about dragons. The best nighttime fantasies were the ones where he slew great, scaly beasts and was knighted in the Temple of Time. Someday, someday…

Just when he was beginning to drift off to sleep, Manny spoke up again.

"You don't think there are any mice in _our _room, are there?"

"Shut up, Manny, or I'll come up there and punch you in your stupid freckled face!"

That shut him up for sure.

* * *

Link awoke to a beautiful morning. The sun was shining as he'd never seen it before. It was infuriating.

"I hate beautiful weather," he bemoaned as he tied his apron behind his back. Beside him, Manny cast him a confused look.

"Why?"

"Makes me wish I was outside."

"We all wish that, boy," the cook sounded from behind him. He was slicing fruit as he spoke, and once he'd dumped it all into an ornate glass bowl, he shoved it in Link's direction. "Here. Find out where in hell Salvatore is and send this up with him. The king'll be throwing a fit by now, fat pig as he is…"

Link pretended not to have heard the words _fat pig _and went off in search of the first footman, who he eventually found sulking by the kitchen staircase with a sourpuss expression.

"Good morning, Salvatore," he greeted, which earned him no response. "Hey. _Hey. _Salvatore."

The gaunt blond man raised an eyebrow. "_Whaaaat?"_

"Cook says to run this fruit platter up to the dining room."

"You tell the cook he can run this fruit platter up his buttocks," Salvatore replied deftly, but he took the fruit up the staircase anyway. Link did not deliver Salvatore's message, but instead returned to the cook's side to await further orders.

"The queen's picnicking with some ladies of Labrynna this morning," the head cook explained once Link had drawn near. He handed him a basket with a stack of steaming pastries inside, and upon Manny he bestowed a pitcher of iced tea. With a scowl, the cook surveyed the room.

"And where the _hell _is Niko?"

They all waited for some reply, but there was nothing. Finally, Manny sighed.

"We'll go get him. Come on, Link."

They set down their goods and instead padded down the hall into the servants' quarters. They found Niko's door firmly shut, and it took Manny three loud knocks and a kick to shove the thing open.

Niko was sound asleep in his bed, and Manny groaned.

"You-" kick- "great-" kick- "_OAF!" _

"I'm awake- I'm awake-" twenty-year-old Niko remarked, and scrambled to his feet. He was a roommate of Salvatore, and had the same thin frame, but Niko was more poorly-kept, with shadowy whiskers and shaggy hair that he did nothing about.

"What is it, lads?!" Niko asked, stumbling about and trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. "Is it dragons? Pirates? Assassins, is it assassins?!"

"It's _breakfast_," Manny replied, and looped an apron around Niko's shoulders almost like a noose. "Let's move."

"But I need the bathroom," Niko moaned as they stumbled out into the hallway and drew nearer to the kitchen. Thankfully, he'd never bothered to change into a nightgown the night before, so he already had his shoes on.

"All right, Cook, we've got him," said Manny. The cook seemed irritated, and he thrust a basket of muffins into Niko's arms a little more forcefully than was probably necessary.

"Here. Don't eat any of them, as I know you're sometimes prone to doing."

Link and Manny took up their goods once more, and the delivery team set off. It was a bit of a trek to the gardens, and they all were thankful for a bit of fresh air.

"Nice day indeed," Manny remarked, but Niko didn't seem to agree.

"It's too bloody sunny," he complained.

"Oh, shut it."

"And the _pollen!_" Niko continued, and right on cue, he sneezed right into the muffins. Manny groaned.

"_Now _look what you've done!" he cried, the iced tea splashing about as he lurched towards Niko in anger.

"You're spilling it! You're spilling it!" Niko replied, and that was it. The two descended into endless arguing in the middle of the courtyard.

A distant whinny distracted Link from the conversation, and he turned just in time to see a man crossing the courtyard on horseback. Behind him, a dozen men traveled on foot. They all were dressed from head to toe in steel, the gold and azure banner of the royal family streaming behind them. Link's breath caught in his throat for a moment, and his chest swelled with longing.

After a minute, the man on horseback came to a halt and removed his helm. He shook out his black hair and dismounted his steed, landing with the ringing of steel and turning to the stableboy, who had come to take the horse.

"Take good care of him, Abe," the knight requested, and the stableboy smiled.

"You know I will, Sir Nohansen!" he exclaimed with a smile, and led the red stallion across the stables.

"Sir Nohansen!" a musical voice sounded, and Link's heart thudded as Princess Zelda emerged from the front doors. She was dressed all in violet today, her golden curls dancing in the morning breeze. She lifted her skirts a few inches and rushed to the man's side. "You've returned!" she exclaimed in absolute glee, and the (Link hated to admit it) awfully handsome Sir Nohansen offered up a modest smile.

"Indeed I have, and in one piece!"

Zelda giggled. "Why, how _wonderful_. Please, you must join us for breakfast, and tell us of your travels…" She took the knight's arm and began to lead him inside.

"Why, Link, you're positively green with envy," Manny piped up. He himself was beaming, which led Link to believe that Manny had won the argument with Niko.

"Envious? Me? Nah," Link said, and yet he couldn't stop staring. Manny sighed and puffed out his cheeks.

"That'll be you someday. All dressed in steel, riding the best horse in the stables, a princess on your arm… or maybe even _that _princess, eh?"

Link shrugged.

"Oh, come on, now. Don't look so sad. We've got to keep our heads up, because that's all we've got, really." He threw his free arm around Link's shoulders. "Come on, Link. Let's deliver these damn pastries, and then we'll be one step closer to greatness."

**A fic that started as a bit of a joke since I, too, work in a kitchen. We'll see where this goes, if I ever continue. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'd like to establish a bit of background on the character of Manny. "Manny" is an NPC in _Wind Waker _who displays great interest in the work of the sculptor Carlov. All of my OCs, such as Manny, Salvatore, and Niko, are based off of actual characters from games with the exception of Sir Nohansen and the cook.**

**Enjoy!**

Perhaps the worst part of being a kitchen boy was the state of being an eternal resident of Downstairs.

Upstairs was different. Upstairs was the beautiful and luxurious world of the wealthy, where the royals stalked the halls in flowing silks and velvets, where they spilled champagne for fun, where they debated politics, and where they held balls.

Downstairs, the home of the servants, was hot and cramped and smelled like sweat more often than not.

All of this made Salvatore something of a scout. Being first footman gave him the exclusive pleasure of venturing up and down the stairs as easily and effortlessly as a frog slipping in and out of a pond.

Of course, this also meant that _he _was the one that got bombarded with all of the questions of two eager teenage boys. _Constantly._

"Did you see Zelda? What's she wearing?" Manny asked when Salvatore came trudging down the stairs one afternoon. Salvatore sneered.

"What do _you _care?"

"_I _don't care. _Link _does," Manny explained. Link ducked his head shyly, his long ears going pink.

Salvatore paused. "Right." And he stalked away irritably.

"But _waaaaaait_," Manny groaned, hot on the tall, gaunt man's tail. "What's she _doooing_? What's the _king _doing?"

Salvatore let out a long groan and pivoted around. "Princess Zelda is dressed all in blue and she's picnicking with Sir Nohansen. Now leave me alone!"

"_Where _is she picnicking?!"

"In the gardens! The gardens! Now leave me be- _ouch!_" He'd turned around again, but the top of his forehead had smacked into a low-hanging doorway. Grumbling under his breath, Salvatore withdrew out of sight.

Manny whirled around, eyes bright. "Let's go, Link- let's go-"

"Go _where_?" a voice cut in. The cook had overheard Manny, and now he peered suspiciously at the two young boys through a cloud of steam.

"On _business_," Manny harrumphed. In truth, he and Link had uncovered a couple of slingshots from a serving girl and were going to pelt Sir Nohansen with the seeds.

"Well unless that _business _is unclogging Niko's sink, you might want to rethink your schedule."

Link and Manny's faces went blank.

"What do you mean, _unclog-_ ow!" Manny moaned as Link elbowed him in the side.

Ten minutes later, Link was scraping sludge out of a pipe while a red-faced Manny scolded Niko for his insolence.

"_How could you get an entire two gallons of soggy vegetable soup stuck in there?!"_

Niko was scratching the back of his neck. "I might've forgotten to check that the trap was in-"

"You- you _absolute goron- _what were you _thinking?!_"

"He wasn't, I s'pose," Link mumbled, withdrawing a sloppy mess of mushed carrots and celery. It landed with a _plop _in the tin bucket near Link's feet.

"That," said Manny, "is disgusting."

"What would you know?" Link snapped. "I don't see _you _helping."

"_I,_" Manny replied with his arms crossed, "am the overseer."

"Yeah? Then oversee _this!" _And with that, Link whirled around and smeared vegetable glop right across Manny's face. The freckled boy howled.

"YOU- CRUSTY- BACKSTABBING- _MOBLIN-_"

And he lunged towards Link and caught him in a headlock. The two boys collapsed to the floor, and Link saw stars as Manny punched him right in the eye. Groaning, Link retaliated with a kick to Manny's stomach, and then they flipped, the world shaking as Link pinned Manny down and delivered a blow to his jaw.

But then Manny's arm was around him and they flipped _again_, Link dizzy as could be, Manny taking control, winding up, ready to deliver a blow that Link was certain would mean his imminent death-

-and then Manny froze with his fist still in the air. His eyes went wide.

"_Don't. Move," _he commanded in half a whisper. All was silent… and then Link saw it out of the corner of his eye.

The same brown mouse that had wrought havoc in the kitchen mere days ago had ventured here once more. It seemed to have found something interesting- a green lump of moldy cheese- and it was so immersed in the task of nibbling that it seemed oblivious to the world around it.

"_Wait… for… it…_" Manny whispered, getting to his knees and winding his arms about a wooden crate. He crept in the direction of the mouse, and Link could only watch, heart hammering… _catch him catch him catch him catch him- _

"_And… _NOW!" Manny screamed, and the crate came crashing down upon the rodent with a _bang._

"GOT HIM!" Manny shouted in triumph just as Link let out a victorious, "YES!"

But then- of course- the mouse scampered out through an unforeseen hole in the crate and padded in terror across the kitchen floor.

"NO NO NO NO-" Manny whimpered, stumbling after the mouse. Link ran after him and gasped as Manny's foot caught on the crate and he tripped, and then Link tripped over _Manny_, and then, to make matters worse, the mouse disappeared into the hole in the wall, lumpy cheese and all.

Manny made a muffled noise.

"What's that, Manny?"

More muffled sounds.

"I think he wants you to get your bum off his face," Niko piped up from the other side of the kitchen.

"_Oh_," Link realized, and rolled to the side. Manny, finally freed, took a long breath of air.

"I said _get off me_," he grumbled, and struggled to his knees. He stared blankly at the exact spot where the mouse had disappeared. "I can't believe it," he said quietly, and shuffled over to the hole in the wall. He got on his stomach and peered through the hole with one eye. "This means war," he whispered, and then flopped onto his back.

"What in _Din's name _is going _on?!_" the cook thundered. Link, Manny, and Niko all went wide-eyed.

"It was the mouse," Link explained, trying to remain calm. The cook was giving him a very condescending gaze over a somehow ominous-looking sack of flour.

"_Sure _it was," the cook groaned. His face was beginning to go red. "Didn't I tell you to unclog that sink?!" he pressed. Link nodded hurriedly.

"It's- it's finished now, sir-"

"Save your _sirs _for the knights of Hyrule and get off your bloody arses!" the cook bellowed. Link and Manny stumbled to their feet with pink faces.

"Now," the cook continued, "take that bucket of _whatever _the devil was in that sink and feed it to the pigs in the sty." He half turned, then turned back, and added as an afterthought, "and then climb in with them, why don't you, since you insist on acting like a couple of swines."

…

"I _just can't believe him!" _Manny was whining about the cook. "Why, we oughtta dunk all his clothes in curdled milk one of these days and see whether he notices. I bet you he won't, Link, I _bet-_ oh, _no_, not _this _again."

But Link had stopped short while they were dragging the heavy bucket of vegetable sludge to the barn. Reaching the barn had required the pair to first pass the entrance to the gardens, and through the gate, which was built into a white stone wall, Link could see Princess Zelda.

She was wearing blue, just as Salvatore had promised, and her thick golden hair had been braided around her head like a tiara. His heart pumping hard, Link practically hovered over to the gate and wrapped his hands around the iron bars. With a sigh, he leaned his face forward and drank in the sight of the sunlit princess.

She was alone with Sir Nohansen, who was laughing at something she had said. The dark-haired knight was resplendent in a white tunic ornamented by golden scrollwork. With a sigh that carried on the wind, Zelda plucked a fat red grape from the platter before her and held it up to Nohansen's lips. He ate the fruit from her fingers and then leaned forward to kiss her, a smile on his face…

A fire raged in Link's chest.

"Sickening," he mumbled, and turned away. His ears were red again, and he was angry, angrier than he remembered being for a long while.

"Oh, let me see," Manny harrumphed. He dropped the bucket of sludge and shouldered past Link, peering at the royal couple through the bars.

"They look like a couple of damn stupid pansies," Manny scoffed. "So what if they want to- oh- ew-"

"What?"

"Don't look, they're- oh _my-"_

Link tried to push Manny out of the way but it was to no avail. Even if he was slight, Manny was a head taller and dragged Link away from the gate with ease. "You don't want to see that."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a mere child-"

"_You and I are the same age!"_

"-and we have work to do. Come along. To the pigsty we go. You carry the bucket, my arms are tired."

Link begrudgingly hoisted the bucket of vegetable mush from the ground. He'd only taken two steps when he stopped again.

"Manny, I've just come up with the most horrible idea."

Manny, who was five strides ahead of Link, glanced over his shoulder. "I like horrible ideas."

"Then come here." Link beckoned Manny over, and glancing again at the marble wall dividing them from the gardens, whispered, "Do you think there's any way we can get on top of that thing?"

Manny considered for a moment. "There's a vine just around the corner that crawls all up and down the side. Niko uses it sometimes to get in and out of the castle- you know how he likes to go out at night."

A smile crept across Link's face. "Let's go- shh-"

"Gods, you're devious this morning," Manny noted with a grin. They kept close to the wall as they snuck around the corner, and Link was the first to scale the vine once they'd found it. Manny followed close behind, and together they hauled the heavy bucket onto the top of the wall before heaving themselves up after it.

"All right, here we are," Manny said, panting. Up here, a parapet lined either side of the wall, allowing Link and Manny to be invisible from below provided that they remained on their hands and knees.

They crawled down the length of the wall and turned a corner. Princess Zelda was in an animated conversation, her melodic voice flitting up through the trees and drifting over the wall. It was becoming steadily louder as Link and Manny drew closer.

Finally, when Zelda and Nohansen were just below, Link stopped, leaned back against the wall, and eyed Manny.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking, right?" Link asked, his voice barely audible.

By now, Manny was beaming. "You know I am."

Link nodded slowly, and both boys curled their arms around the heavy bucket.

"One…" Link breathed, "two… _three!_"

And then they leaned over the parapet and emptied the contents of the bucket straight onto Sir Nohansen's head. The dense, mucky brown mush splattered all about, plastering Sir Nohansen's otherwise perfect hair to his scalp and drenching his pristine white tunic. Horrified, the knight launched to his feet and smeared the gunk out of his eyes, his head whipping this way and that as he tried to identify his assailant.

"Who goes there?!" he called, but Link and Manny had already ducked back into the shadow of the parapet, where they'd succumbed to a fit of giggles.

And so, apparently, had Princess Zelda. Tentatively, Link peered over the wall to spy.

Besides a small stain on the hem of her dress, Zelda had gone untouched by Link's surprise attack. Now she stood back and laughed at Nohansen, who had gone so far as to draw his sword.

"It appears that we have an impostor in our midst," she observed, and Link dropped out of sight once more before Zelda could know it was him. "Oh, put that blade away," Link heard her add, and he was glad that Nohansen had done something that Zelda found stupid. He wanted her to find Nohansen dumb, even if he really wasn't.

"Let's go," Manny whispered, dragging Link by the wrist. "Come _on- _we're gonna get caught, and then Cook will _really _blow his top!"

"But I want to see-"

"Is somebody there?" a voice sounded from around the corner. There were footsteps, and Link could tell that a guard was pacing the wall not too far away… his stomach dropped.

"Okay, fine," Link whispered, and he and Manny snuck back around the corner and down the vine. Once they'd hit the grass, they bolted, running until the scene of the crime was far behind them.

His lungs sore, Link stopped and leaned against a castle wall, panting. It was hot outside, and his mouth and throat were dry from running.

Manny had collapsed into the grass.

"That," the freckled boy said, "was fantastic."

"Yeah," Link agreed between breaths, "it really was."

"Let's get back to the kitchen."

"Right. Cook will be wondering where we- _crap_," Manny said.

"What?"

Manny's eyes had gone wide.

"Manny, _what?!_"

"_The bucket_," Manny hissed. "_We left the bucket!"_

And it all came crashing down. A guard would find the bucket, return it to the cook, and that would be it, that would be the end… oh, it was all over now…

"We have to go back and get it," Link said with determination. "There's no other choice."

Manny bit his lip. "You're right. Damn."

They returned reluctantly to the garden wall, and Manny was the one to scale to the top (_"I can't trust an amateur") _while Link remained down below. He waited, waited… the suspense was terrible.

And then a whisper sounded from overhead. And time stopped.

"It's _gone!" _Manny wailed, and returned reluctantly to the ground. He didn't address Link directly, but rather shoved past him with his head down.

"We might as well write out a will, Cook's gonna punish us so bad. If I die, burn everything I ever drew. I don't want my mam finding that stuff."

Link tried to smirk, but found that he couldn't. _We're never going to live this one down._

Manny walked at so fast a pace that he was soon far ahead of Link. Left alone, Link set off towards the castle entrance designated for servants and kitchen staff. He, too, was wondering what sort of punishment might be awaiting him when a voice stopped him.

_"Psst!"_

He glanced over his shoulder. There, looking slightly frazzled, was Princess Zelda herself. Link's face got hotter than it had ever been in history, and his ears went so red that he was surprised they didn't burn off.

"Y-y-your Highn-ness-"

She beckoned him over, and he obeyed, his stomach doing somersaults. Then she did the last thing that he'd have expected, and held out the empty tin bucket that Manny had been so worried about.

"You work in the kitchens, right? I think I've seen you there before."

Link's eyes were wide. Somehow, he managed to squeak out a, "Y-yes."

The beautiful woman smirked. "This bucket belongs to the cook, then. I found it atop the garden wall- strange place for a bucket, don't you think?"

"I- I s'pose-"

"I hate to trouble you, but perhaps you could return this bucket to its rightful owner?"

"Y-yes, I- of course, Your Highness. Yes. Of course." He took the bucket from her outstretched hands, but he was shaking so badly that he dropped it almost immediately. Somehow going even redder, he fumbled to pick it up from the ground and cradled it to his chest.

"Do enjoy your afternoon," Zelda implored. She was trying not to laugh, he just knew it.

"Yes- too, you- I mean you, too- do that- your afternoon- enjoy it-" And he was running. _Don't look back don't look back she's laughing she's laughing-_

"Oh, and…"

Link halted and turned nervously. Zelda was giving him a knowing smile. "Your secret's safe with me," she promised, and winked.

Link's knees turned to jelly.

He ran.

**Thanks to Violingirl4102, Liz, Your Name Goes Here, Darkpelt117, and Guest for reviewing! It's always such a pleasure.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Tbh I don't know if it's really worth posting anything on this site anymore, since it's dead as a doornail.**

**Regardless: enjoy!**

On a Sunday afternoon in late spring, Link caught the mouse.

He wouldn't have done it if Princess Zelda hadn't been watching, but the fact of the matter was that she _did _happen to be watching, and whatever surge of determination had possessed Link in that moment resulted in what quite possibly was the best and worst afternoon of his whole young life.

He was restocking the pantry when it all began.

"Excuse me, but do you have a minute?"

Link jumped so violently at the sound of Princess Zelda's voice that half a dozen cartons of oatmeal went tumbling to the ground. Horridly crimson-faced, Link scooped them up with trembling arms and cradled them to his chest.

"Y-Your Highness," he stuttered, and collapsed into a bow. He couldn't dare to meet her eyes, though he knew that they were probably rather bemused in expression.

"I was just wondering whether you could fetch me a jar of honey? I made such an inquiry to the cook, and he directed me here."

"Right… honey, got it…" Link said, shoving the oatmeal cartons somewhat precariously back onto their shelf. He dragged a footstool over to a corner shelf and mounted it, still hyperaware of the fact that Princess Zelda was watching him intently, and somewhat lightheaded for it.

The honey was kept in glass jars along the top shelf and, once he was on his toes, reaching it wasn't a difficult feat. He extended a hand, his fingers brushing the glass of the heavy jar, and he pulled it off the shelf… to reveal a mouse caught in the act of thievery. The mouse paused. Stared. Squeaked.

"AH!" Link screamed, and fell backwards off of the stool. He landed with an _oomph_ on his back; Zelda screeched in response, and the jar of honey rolled out of Link's grasp and beside Zelda's feet.

"What's wrong- are you hurt?!" Zelda fretted, and he could smell her fragrance as she kneeled beside him. Her hand was rushing towards his forehead, but he ducked out of the way just in time and stumbled once more to his feet.

"Mouse!" he cried, and at that moment the rodent came scurrying down from the shelf. Zelda shrieked outright and cowered from the minuscule beast, and Link, heart hammering, chased after it.

"The door! The door!" Zelda cried, for indeed the mouse was making a break for it. Link slammed the door just in time for the rodent to come to a screeching halt, and then, thinking fast, he grasped an empty basket from a shelf and let it come swooping down on the mouse like a bird of prey.

And then… they waited.

"Did you get it?" Zelda whispered.

A muffled squeak from underneath the basket was response enough, and Link grinned.

Sliding the basket's lid underneath it secured the trap, and when he lifted it into the air, the squeaking continued from inside. He kicked the footstool over to the pantry's only window, creaked it open with one hand, and then extended both of his arms into the open and released the lid on the basket. The mouse went tumbling into the grass, gave another terrified squeak, and then scampered across the open lawn, never to be seen again.

He slammed the window shut, and turned apologetically to Zelda.

"Sorry," he said, the color surging back to his face for the second time. "He's- er- been terrorizing the kitchen for days."

But Princess Zelda was _beaming_.

"What's your name?" she asked suddenly.

"My name?" Link asked, and checked over his shoulder just to make sure that she was really talking to him. When he realized half a second later what a fool he was making of himself, he hastily added, "I'm Link."

"_Link_," she repeated, as if testing the sound of it. Then she grinned one of those sparkly-eyed, red-lipped grins, and laughed musically. "Thank you, Link. I'll be certain that your employer hears of your heroic deed."

"H-_heroic?" _Link repeated. Zelda was advancing towards him just the slightest bit, and it was making him nervous. _Again._

"Why of course!" she replied, and she was getting very, _very _close. He could smell her perfume again, could see the freckles on her nose, could feel her breath on his face- oh _no-_

And for the third time that afternoon he went so scorchingly red in the face that he feared his skin might melt off, and the world wavered around him and it was so terribly warm- and she got _closer-_

…

"_-_And then she _kissed _you?! Just like _that?!" _Manny cried disbelievingly from the top bunk. His eyes had gone round as marbles, and his unhinged jaw looked rather likely to fall off.

"Only on the _cheek_," Link argued from the bottom bunk, and touched his right cheekbone tenderly. "It didn't mean anything," he continued, but he couldn't convince himself of anything that would shoo the butterflies from the stomach.

"_Link_," Manny said forcefully, and flopped over the side of his bunk so that his shaggy hair hung about him like curtains. "If _Princess Zelda _called me a hero and then kissed _me _on the cheek, I would _never wash my face again. _She is the _crown princess of Hyrule. _She descends from a _literal goddess on earth. _You-" and he pointed an accusing finger- "have been _blessed _by the _goddesses_, and this is a sign! A sign from the heavens."

The hour had grown late, and now the only light that permeated their shared room was the cold light of the moon.

"I wish you'd just go to bed, Manny," Link snapped suddenly, hoping that if he shut Manny up quickly enough, Manny wouldn't talk him into believing anything rash. Link could hear his friend let out one of his trademark sighs, and then the bed creaked as the boy flopped back onto his bunk.

That night, Link dreamed that he saved Princess Zelda from a dragon.

…

Link knew as soon as the next morning dawned that he shouldn't have uttered a peep of yesterday's adventure to Manny.

Because Manny, unfortunately, was a gossip.

"...Yeah, and then Link trapped the mouse with a _basket_- like _this- hyah!" _Manny imitated the action as he assumed it to have appeared. In reality, Link was certain that his own actions the afternoon prior had been much more scattered and frantic, but he wasn't about to argue with Manny's valiant display.

"Did you kill it, Link?!" Niko asked eagerly as Salvatore eavesdropped grimly from across the kitchen.

"No, no! I just released the mouse outside," Link replied, slightly flustered by the admiration of his coworkers. Even the cook was listening in with mild interest.

"And Princess Zelda called him a hero!" Manny exclaimed. "And _then _what did she do? Tell 'em, Link!"

Link turned pink and suppressed a massive grin. "She-"

"SHE KISSED HIM! That's right, kissed him right _there _on the cheek," Manny cried, and poked Link in the wrong spot on the incorrect cheek, though Link made no point of correcting him. "And called him a hero," Manny repeated for the umpteenth time.

Niko clapped enthusiastically.

"So, there you have it. The mouse is gone, and you're all rid of the horrid creature," Manny said, and paused. "Until the next mouse comes in, I guess."

Link was beaming, but his moment of glory was cut short as Salvatore spoke up from the shadows near the staircase.

"If you want to be a _real _hero, you're gonna have to do something more than just evict a _kitchen mouse_," the footman scoffed, and rolled his eyes.

"Well, Link's got to start somewhere, hasn't he, clod-pole?" Manny argued. "Tell him, Link."

Link shrugged. "Manny's right, probably." He was aware of the fact that he was behaving rather pretentiously at the moment, but never mind that. He'd make up for it later, when the cook humbled him with some demeaning task.

"Well, then," Salvatore deadpanned, "you come back to me when you've saved Her Highness from peril, and in the meantime, I'll ready a laurel." And then he plodded off to skulk somewhere.

Manny turned to face Link, a fiery gleam in his eye. "Don't you listen to him, Link; you're one step closer than you were yesterday, and that's all that matters!"

"Right!" Niko affirmed, and a smile spread across Link's face.

_Maybe there's some truth to what they're saying_, he thought, but figured after a beat that no such thing could possibly be true.

…

The morning gave way to afternoon, and after the rush that was lunch-time, Link and Manny found themselves with some time on their hands.

"Here," the cook said, burdening them each with a bucket of table scraps. "Take these up and feed them to the pig- the one in the sty, not on the throne- and enjoy a few minutes' leisure on your way back." The cook wasn't smiling, but he was frowning as violently as usual, which Link took as a good sign.

"It's because he's still pleased with you about the mouse," Manny theorized as they crossed the castle lawn. It was a beautiful afternoon, the sky drenched perfectly in blue but for a few feathery clouds.

They turned a corner.

"Oh, _no_," said Manny, and Link's heart dropped. _It's a repeat of several days ago._

Sir Nohansen and Zelda were together again, but this time they were practicing at archery.

"You must pardon me, Sir Nohansen; I know not the slightest thing about the sport," Zelda begged, and fiddled with an arrow as she spoke.

"Well, that's malarky," Manny mumbled outright. "I saw her shooting bulls-eyes just two weeks ago."

The kitchen boys ducked behind a hedge and watched closer.

"Not a thing, you say?" Sir Nohansen replied. "Well, perhaps I can show you. Here…" His hands closed over hers. "You nock your arrow… like so… and you must ensure that the colored feathers are arranged in this very specific way… you draw…"

As he spoke, he ran through the motions with Zelda. Their bodies were pressed close together, his arms framing hers, his jaw brushing against the golden hairs on Zelda's head.

"And then…" he said, "you release."

The arrow cut through the air and landed, perfectly centered, on the bullseye.

"Hold on while I go vomit somewhere," grumbled a disgusted Manny, and he disappeared from Link's side.

But something compelled Link to keep watching- something that had nothing to do with Zelda, nor with Nohansen, but instead with the sky beyond castle walls…

"Manny?" Link voiced over his shoulder. "Do you see that?"

"I wish I didn't," Manny snarked.

"No, not- not the princess- I mean… in the _sky_."

Manny peered over Link's head. "What in the blazes…"

An agonizing screech shook the entire courtyard, and two seconds later, a hideous winged creature swooped into view. Zelda's shrill outcry of terror made Link's blood run cold.

The creature was indeed repulsive to behold, with a bald, pointed head like a vulture and scraggly, filthy feathers in jagged formation. It gave another threatening _squawk _before hurtling towards Zelda. At the last minute, the princess was pushed out of the way by Sir Nohansen. The massive bird skimmed over the grass before looping back into the air with another repellent cry.

Nohansen drew his sword with the ringing of steel, and sunlight glinted against the blade as he held high in his right hand and guarded Zelda with his left.

"Cowardly creature!" the knight cried as the bird disappeared over the castle wall. "Show yourself!"

The bird obliged by appearing far across the castle courtyard, and Link realized with a pang of dread that Nohansen's eyes were still fixed the spot where the bird had disappeared. _He doesn't see it!_

And the bird was getting closer and closer, and it was going to get Zelda, and that was when Link knew what he needed to do.

He sprinted across the courtyard faster than he'd ever run in his life, and when he dove for Zelda's abandoned bow and quiver his stomach was caked in dirt. His hand closed around the bow, he nocked the arrow, closed one eye, aimed, shot-

_SQUAAAAAAAAAAWK!_

And the bird collapsed him in a flurry of grimy feathers and a cloud of dirt. Zelda gasped and turned around, pulling Nohansen with her.

"Gods above- Link?!" she gasped, recognizing him. It took her a minute to piece together exactly what she was looking at, and when everything fell into place, her eyes widened. "You… felled that awful creature?"

Link nodded, groaned, and stumbled to his feet. His clothes were covered in dirt. Cook would not be pleased.

"Yes, Your Highness," he said after a second. He was still panicking from the attack; so much so that he didn't even have time to be embarrassed.

Nohansen was pacing around the creature.

"This is a kargaroc," the knight identified, "but it is… odd, Your Highness, that one should stray so far north." His eyes were concerned when they met Zelda's. "These creatures… they do not often leave the tropical reaches of the south… I do not understand…" But then he shook his head. "I'm over-thinking this, of course," he laughed, and fell silent.

Zelda just stared between Nohansen and the bird, unblinking. "Well, I…"

"LINK!" Manny cried, dashing out from behind the hedge. He was white in the face. "You never told me you were handy with a bow! Who taught you, you great big- oh, right, hello there, Highness," Manny added, and gave a quick bow. Then he rapidly returned his attentions to Link. "Who taught you?!"

It took Link a second to come up with an answer. Finally: "My mother," he answered dumbly.

"Your- your mother-"

"She lives- we lived- in the country- before I came here, I mean," Link answered before turning back to Zelda. "Your Highness, I apologize, I- I mean, we- we were just passing through-"

"At ease, Link," Sir Nohansen implored. He sheathed his sword and scrutinized the young boy. "You have done us both a great service."

"Please, if there is any way that I can repay you, you must only say the word-" Zelda said, but Link cut her short.

"No, Your Highness, Sir Nohansen- I don't need anything- I mean, your gratitude is more than enough," Link promised, but Manny shut Link up by swatting him on the arm.

"Begging your pardon, Highness, but Link's a downright liar. I'm Manny, by the way, but never mind me; you see, Link's got this great big desire to become a knight, and as you can see, he's got all the skill and valor for it."

Zelda's face fell, and she turned an eye on Link. "Is this true?"

The kitchen boy hung his head in shame. "...It is."

Zelda frowned. "Regrettably, dear Link, you are of low birth. I can make no promises of knighthood to a commoner; you must understand that it grieves me to say so."

"I know, Your Highness. It's okay," Link swore, but he could feel his hopes crashing down around him already.

But that was when Sir Nohansen stepped forward.

"Perhaps Link is not meant for knighthood, but there is no reason why such a skillful young boy should be kept from learning the ways of the sword."

Link glanced at Nohansen in disbelief. _He can't mean…_

"Link," the knight addressed, catching his eye; "it would be my honor to teach you at least basic swordplay during my stay in Hyrule Castle. That is… if you would accept me as your teacher."

Link shook his head rapidly. "I could never accept that, Sir Nohansen."

"Please," the knight argued, raising a gloved hand. "You have quite possibly saved our lives this afternoon; I owe you a debt. If you do not accept this, then we will have to find another way to repay you, won't we, Your Highness?"

"Indeed, Sir," Zelda agreed, a knowing smile on her face.

Link knew that he was probably shaking stupidly again, but he was still in utter shock.

"I don't have a sword," he said dumbly, and wondered why he kept arguing when he wanted this more than anything.

"I will supply you with a blade; there is no loss there."

"Nor a horse," Link continued, and Nohansen laughed.

"When the time comes, I will ensure that you are suitably equipped," the knight promised with a good-natured smile. "Well, then, what do you say? Do you accept?"

Link would have kept arguing if Manny hadn't nudged him then and there.

"Don't be stupid!" Manny urged. "Say, 'yes!'"

Link turned to Manny and pouted. "I'm not stupid!" he cried, and turned to Nohansen and Zelda. He took a deep breath, and then he grinned wildly. "Yes- yes, _yes!"_


End file.
